Audio By Vocalize
African teenage mother holding her child while wearing a school uniform. [iStockphoto]
Each year without fail, the teenage pregnancy crisis usually hits the headlines and yet, when it comes to elections, outgoing leaders are not held accountable for their failure in dealing with it, nor are prospective candidates judged based on what they intend to do about the crisis. In fact, in the 2022 elections, none of the presidential candidates had the teenage pregnancy issue in their manifestos. Nor did most governors, even from the most affected counties.
Instead, teenage pregnancy in Kenya is discussed as a question of morality. Girls are told to abstain from sex and blamed for their poor values when they get pregnant. And yet, looking at the annual statistics released by KNBS, a pattern begins to emerge. A girl born in Samburu has a 50% chance of not completing secondary school education due to teenage pregnancy, while a girl born in Nyeri at the same time only has a 5% chance of the same. The Samburu girl is not more promiscuous; it is the governance structures that have failed her, as the teenage pregnancy burden is highest among poor, less educated and rural communities.
